Self-Appointed Diplomat Dennis Rodman Heads To The Vatican To 'Shake Some Hands

Following his "successful" North Korean diplomatic excursion, former NBA all-star turned reality TV star Dennis Rodman is en route to Rome with hopes of meeting the next Pope.

Image: Getty/TMZ

The gossip website TMZ caught up with Rodman at the airport and grabbed an exclusive interview with the D-I-Y diplomat. They tested Rodman's Papal knowledge with a few simple questions, like "Who is your favorite Pope?" The former NBA rebound king picked a perennial favorite, Pope John Paul II. Rodman's reasons for liking JPII are slightly less convention than you will hear from most Catholics;

"Paul, John Paul, the second... he was cool as hell. He was pretty much like a pimp. He's sitting up there like a pimp, speaking 20,000 different languages, and people just throwing their lives to him... He was great for the world."

When asked about riding in the Popemobile, Mr. Rodman confidently answered, "You're gonna see me in the Popemobile, doing my thing."

Apparently, Dennis Rodman's new hobby is meeting famous people around the world. Media insiders speculate that this as part of a future HBO show that follows the very unpredictable Rodman around the world and documents what happens when he meets world leaders.

So, who would he like to meet next? TMZ asked, Rodman's response, "God (laughs) God."

Watch the entire airport encounter here. It starts with a few questions about the North Korean trip and then moves on to the Vatican.